Unbiased VPN Reviews

Is VyprVPN a VPN worth purchasing? Since you’ve landed on this VyprVPN review, I can assume this is a question you’re currently asking yourself. Whether you’re new to VPNs or you’re a seasoned online security veteran, I’d like to walk you through the pros and cons of VyprVPN, how it compares to other software and what you can expect.

When it comes to VPN reviews, you’ll find that they’re a dime a dozen on the internet. So why should you care about this particular VyprVPN review?

There are two simple but important reasons:

Because I’ve been using many VPNs for over 10 years now and I know what makes a VPN great versus just good.

Because I show you how it works instead of just telling you about it. It’s easier to see what it’s like than to imagine it.

Join me as we walk through not only a review of VyprVPN, but also an introduction to the company, a look at their privacy policy, a comparison of the VyprVPN services against other VPNs and finally a VyprVPN setup tutorial for computers and mobile devices.

Note: Some of the links on VPNVideoReviews may be affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may be compensated should you choose to use one of the recommended services. Rest assured I never recommend anything I haven’t personally used and you’re under no obligation to use my links. Thank you in advance for your support of this free information!

VyprVPN Video Review

Before I dive into the written review and setup tutorial for VyprVPN, take a moment to watch this 3-minute VyprVPN video review.

As you can see in the video, there’s a lot to like about VyprVPN and it compares well to many of the other top VPNs on the market today. They’re one of the few transparent VPNs, which is where I’ll start with this VyprVPN review.

Ready to try VyprVPN?

Who is VyprVPN (i.e. Golden Frog)?

One of the first questions you should ask when shopping for a good VPN is a simple one: Who is this company?

The problem is that it’s far too easy for shady characters to set up a VPN service from their mother’s basement. They accept credit card payments and route all internet traffic, making this industry a scammer’s playground.

If you look at the About Page on most VPN websites, you’ll find vague references to people and locations that may or may not be true. You never know who’s running the company, how qualified they are (we’re talking about digital security and encryption here!), or how to accessible they are.

VyprVPN goes a step further, though, with their proprietary “Chameleon” connection protocol. According to their marketing, Chameleon has the ability to thwart VPN blocking where other connection protocols can’t.

In my experience, particularly in China where the government makes VPN blocking a priority, the Chameleon connection was good but not 100% effective. It wasn’t a “magic bullet” but I did appreciate having another option to choose from.

VyprVPN Simultaneous Connections

While you’re allowed to download the VyprVPN software on as many computers and devices as you want, a limit on simultaneous connections is normal. Most VPNs allow for 3 simultaneous connections, so VyprVPN beats a lot of the competition in this regard.

VyprVPN Data Logging Policies

It doesn’t make for good marketing, but VyprVPN is one of the few companies out there that seems to be up-front about a simple truth. They do log some data.

If this scares you away and makes you think that other VPNs are safer, I’ve got some bad news for you: no VPN on the market offers full-proof protection.

VyprVPN is unique in that they allow users to choose exactly how much data is logged. Under the “Advanced” settings, you’ll find something called “Verbosity” that lets you choose from level “0” to level “10”. This is the level of detail recorded in the connection log.

I’ve never seen this kind of feature on any other VPN software. My guess is that adding the feature indicates that some level of data logging is happening, and most VPNs don’t want to give away that information.

Payment Methods for VyprVPN

VyprVPN offers a number of ways that you can pay for their service, and most of these will work for you. In addition to the regular Visa/Mastercard and Paypal, you can also use Alipay (Chinese method of payment), American Express, JCB and Diner’s Club.

Absent on this list is any anonymous form of payment, which I know some people would prefer. Representatives I’ve spoken to at VyprVPN say there aren’t immediate plans to include payment methods like Bitcoin or gift cards, which are options for other VPN services.

I don’t consider this a huge disadvantage, but it is worth noting for those who prefer a higher level of anonymity.

Added Bonus Features with VyprVPN

There are a lot of little features I like about VyprVPN that don’t fit into traditional VPN boxes. I’ll list a few of my favorites here:

VyprVPN Owns Their Servers: You know how most VPNs boast thousands of servers across the globe? While true, 90% of the time they lease those servers, meaning they don’t own or control all the data. While you’re probably fine, it’s not the most secure way to go about things. VyprVPN is different in that they own all of their servers – none of them are managed by 3rd parties.

VyprDNS: VyprVPN gives you not only excellent VPN service, but also good SmartDNS service as well (click here to learn more about what SmartDNS is). You may or may not use this feature, but it’s there if you want it, which is nice.

NAT Firewall Protection: This adds an additional layer of security for you and runs on their servers instead of your computer. Many other VPN services offer this, but it’s a good feature.

VyprVPN Cloud: Moving to the cloud is the future of VPNs and VyprVPN is ahead of the curve in this regard. It adds an additional layer of security and flexibility, but is probably only useful for more tech-savvy users.

VyprVPN Setup Tutorial

If you’ve read through this VyprVPN review and have decided that it’s worth giving the service a try, check out this video below to see how to purchase, install and set up VyprVPN on a computer or mobile device.

In addition to these, they also offer apps for routers, QNAP, Blackphone, Anonabox and even most smart TVs. Detailed tutorials for setup on each platform can be found on their website.

Final Thoughts | VyprVPN Review

As you can probably tell in this VyprVPN review, I’m a fan of VyprVPN. It’s not my absolute favorite software, but it’s up there in the top 5 and is certainly worth the cost of service.

For those less tech-savvy users, the software is simple to download and use. For those who want access to advanced settings, VyprVPN allows you some of the best controls that I’ve seen on a VPN.

Any way you cut it, VyprVPN is a quality option at a price that matches any similar-level VPN software. Try it for free for 3 days to try for yourself and then take advantage of up 68% in savings using the button below.

Since 2012, NordVPN has been offering VPN security solutions for both personal and business use. In the past couple years they’ve begun to really hit their stride and I’d like to spend a few minutes in this NordVPN review to cover what they’ve done right…and what you need to be aware of.

In the following review I’d like to cover a few different questions that people have asked me about the different VPN services that I cover. These questions include:

NordVPN Video Review

Before continuing with the NordVPN review, take three minutes to watch our speed review of NordVPN for an overview of the product. I find that it helps to see the product in action instead of just reading about it.

Please be aware that some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you enjoy this review and decide to purchase NordVPN, I will receive a small commission. Of course, this brings into question any sort of bias I might have, but I promise you that I don’t write about anything I haven’t used in person and I don’t ever recommend a service that I don’t genuinely like.

NordVPN Review | Here’s What I Like

There are many things to like about NordVPN, one of the reasons I list it as one of the best VPNs on the market today. In short, what I really like about NordVPN is:

Simple Setup Process: It took me less than 5 minutes to purchase, install and activate NordVPN on my computer (see the video above for proof).

Excellent User Interface: Based on my experience with numerous VPN services, this is actually quite a hard thing to get right. NordVPN has a very clean interface with a beautiful map design that makes it easy to choose the server you want.

Competitive Pricing: Nowadays, the VPN market has normalized to the point that there’s only a dollar or two difference between most VPN services. If you purchase the NordVPN 2-year plan, you’ll find that it’s right in line with what is standard pricing.

30 Day Money-Back Guarantee: This is a BIG deal to me. NordVPN gives you 30 days to try out their service and ask for a full refund if you aren’t completely satisfied. If you’ve read my ExpressVPN review, you’ll know that they offer this as well. That’s why I often suggest people purchase both to see which one they like better and then refund the other (or keep it as a backup).

Simultaneous Connections: Whereas most VPN services cap users at 3 simultaneous connections (the number of devices that can be connected to the VPN at one time), NordVPN offers a whopping 6. If you’re somebody who has a lot of devices or perhaps a number of different people in your family, this could be a big deal.

Advanced Features: Although the user interface is suitable for those who aren’t “tech-savvy”, they also offer a lot of advanced features. These include: a VPN kill switch, enabling custom DNS, selecting different security protocols, and connecting to specialty servers like Anti-DDoS, Dedicated IP, Double VPN, and P2P.

NordVPN Review | Speed Comparison

How does NordVPN’s server speeds compare to competitors like ExpressVPN or VyprVPN?

The truth is that I’m not a big fan of speed tests. There are far too many factors that play into your internet speed that include things like your ISP, your router, and even your computer. In other words, just because your internet speed is slow, that doesn’t mean it’s your VPNs fault. It could be a number of different reasons.

In order to make my speed tests as fair as possible, I decided to test NordVPN against its competitors using the same computer, on the same internet connection, at the same time of day, connecting to the same city server. Got that? So here were my results:

As you can see, there’s not too much difference, with the exception of the upload speeds. I hesitate even to show this, however, as there are a number of reasons this test could have shown slow upload speeds. In practice, I’ve never had a problem uploading videos or other large files using NordVPN.

The Company Behind NordVPN

Founded in 2012 and registered in Panama, NordVPN was created by a close group of friends who had spent time in various parts of the world where Internet censorship, content control, and government agency surveillance are commonplace.

According to the website about page, their founding principles were to develop technology to overcome these solutions to liberate the Internet. Today NordVPN claims to serve more than 1 million people worldwide to provide security and privacy services.

Aside from this information, they don’t provide more detail about the company. In this regard, I wish NordVPN would change. I feel like the world of VPNs is already quite shady and it doesn’t help when these companies – which claim to serve a million people – don’t even allow you to know who is on their leadership team. It’s a bit scary.

How to Set up NordVPN on Computer or Mobile Devices

I’m going to detail below how to setup NordVPN both on your desktop and mobile device but honestly, it’s much easier if you watch it being done. Take a few minutes to see the installation and setup process in my NordVPN setup tutorial video below.

NordVPN Setup on a Computer

After registering your e-mail, choosing a password (here are some pro tips for creating a strong password), and submitting payment, log in to your custom profile on NordVPN’s website. At this point, follow these simple steps:

Download the Appropriate Software: From the download area, you will find numerous operating systems. These include Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, and mobile platforms. Select to download the VPN to your device.

Log in on Your Device: Once you have downloaded and installed NordVPN, open the application and login with your account info. From here everything is pretty intuitive as NordVPN has an extremely user friendly platform. Within the global map of servers, simply select the server you prefer and you will automatically connect. It is that simple.

Among the interesting features that NordVPN has on its desktop application is the connection wizard. If you are not sure which server to connect to, simply hang out on the main screen and the connection wizard will pop-up and recommend a server for you based on your needs.

Also notable is the search bar at the top of the screen. From there you can type items like watch Netflix, stream Hulu, or download torrents. NordVPN will recommend a server that best fulfills that function.

On the left side menu, you can play with the settings which include a number of advanced features, such as the internet kill switch. Unlike other VPNs that kill your Internet when the VPN disconnects, with NordVPN you can choose which applications you would like to kill rather than having your Internet disconnect entirely.

Some other advanced features on the desktop application include changing protocols along with enabling DNS setup.

NordVPN Setup on Mobile Devices

After downloading NordVPN onto your mobile device, follow the prompts as the software redirects you to your settings to install the profile for VPN.

Connect to a Server: Once the app has been given permission to install a VPN profile, you will be able to scroll through the various country servers and choose where you want to connect.

When opening the app you have the choice to select your preferred server from the map or use the quick connect feature where NordVPN will recommend the best server based on your location.

Under the “List” option, you can see within the app all the different country servers. In addition, it lists the server’s load and distance. Under the “List” menu, you have the the option to connect to specialty servers like anti-DDoS, dedicated IP servers, onion over VPN, and P2P.

When clicking on the “My Account & Settings” page you have the option to enable the kill switch or reach out for technical support. It’s possible to surf the knowledge base pages for information on servers, streaming services, and privacy.

Final Thoughts | NordVPN Review

Overall, NordVPN is a good option for casual and advanced VPN users. Being headquartered in Panama, where there are no data retention laws, you can reasonably count on NordVPN to protect your data and security.

The platform also offers additional security features like Double VPN and Onion over VPN, which provide additional layers of encryption and protection from prying eyes. NordVPN’s user-friendly interface and affordability are what make it stand out as a Best VPN.

At the very least, I suggest you download and give NordVPN a try. If it’s not what you’re looking for, you have 30 days to get your money back and try something else.

What do you think? What has been your personal experience with NordVPN?

Is ExpressVPN a good and reliable VPN? They brand themselves as the “#1 Trusted Leader in VPN” with high speeds, security, and an easy to use platform with instant setup. In this personal ExpressVPN review, I’d like to put these claims to the test and help you decide whether ExpressVPN is the right VPN for you.

If you’ve landed on this page, that probably means you’ve heard of ExpressVPN before and you’re looking to purchase a VPN, but you’re not sure if ExpressVPN is a good investment.

You probably want to see what you’re getting into and read about how ExpressVPN compares to other VPN providers.

As somebody who has used ExpressVPN for over 8 years (as well as many other VPNs), I not only have experience with ExpressVPN, I also know how their features compare to those of other VPN providers. That’s what I hope to share with you here.

Below you’ll find my video review of ExpressVPN as well as answers to the most common questions I receive about ExpressVPN.

Table of Contents

Note: The links in this article may be affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive compensation if you decide to use the services listed. I don’t recommend anything I don’t personally use and I’ve even negotiated special deals, such as 3 months of free service with ExpressVPN when you buy a full year.

ExpressVPN Video Review

If you’re pressed for time or you’re a person who prefers visuals, I recommend you watch my 3-minute video review of ExpressVPN. It covers everything you need to know and shows you the download, installation and software in action!

Who is the Company Behind ExpressVPN?

In the world of VPN companies, there’s a fine line between legitimate privacy and reckless secrecy.

Here’s what I mean by that. Most VPNs don’t share much about themselves on their about page and it’s hard to tell whether they’re a legitimate company or a shady hacker working in the basement of his mom’s house. How can you know?

ExpressVPN is pretty vague on their about page, but over the years I’ve come to know the company better and have been pleased with what I’ve learned. Founded in 2009, ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands. Its location in the British Virgin Islands gives it a strong competitive advantage in that laws in the area afford more privacy and anonymity than the U.S. or Europe.

Their public mission statement states they believe everyone should be able to go online with privacy, security, and freedom.

What Makes ExpressVPN a Great VPN?

With so much competition, it’s honestly difficult to differentiate various VPN services. On the surface, they all look the same (encryption! no logging! we’re awesome!).

However, after dealing with a bunch of VPN companies over the past decade, I’ve come to appreciate the aspects of a VPN service that distinguish ExpressVPN as not just a good VPN, but one that could be considered a best VPN in 2018.

Customer Reception – When scanning for comments on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, users of Express VPN are overwhelmingly positive about the service. While price shows up as a common pain point, you have to dig really deep to find negative comments on ExpressVPN’s product and service.

Customer Service – When choosing a VPN, you should always factor quality of customer service support in your decision. I’ve had some terrible experiences with other VPN companies and it was painful. Thankfully, the ExpressVPN customer support has been amazing. Available 24/7, you can always use the Live Chat feature on their website to get immediate customer support. From your mobile or tablet, you can reach out for support by email from within the app. ExpressVPN says they will respond within 24 hours, but you are likely to hear back much sooner. I received an answer to my question within 45 minutes of reaching out via email.

Connection Speed – One way ExpressVPN stands out is how it prioritizes speedy service. When using the software on Windows, Mac and Android you can run a speed test, which gives you statistics on speed index, latency, and download speed across their servers. Their website is also transparent in showing which servers are optimal for streaming videos, such as those best for streaming Netflix in China. Furthermore with 1,500+ VPN servers in 145 VPN server locations in 94 countries, you can count on having reliable and fast coverage all over the globe.

Privacy – With ExpressVPN, you can rest easy knowing that your Internet traffic will be hidden from third parties. The software features advanced encryption technology and includes a VPN killswitch. This way your data will always be protected from third parties in the event of a VPN disconnection.

An additional benefit with ExpressVPN is that they allow P2P downloading through their software (not all VPN services allow this). While ExpressVPN does not stand alone in the industry for this, it is good to know that your Internet traffic and IP address will remain anonymous when downloading P2P content on torrent websites.

Underlying ExpressVPN is a company culture of protecting your privacy. ExpressVPN pledges that it does not and will never log your browsing history, traffic data, and DNS queries. While this can only be taken at face value (VPN companies are notorious for lying about this), ExpressVPN’s website is very open about its views on digital privacy.

How to set-up ExpressVPN on your Computer

Purchasing and downloading ExpressVPN can be done in as little as a couple minutes. From ExpressVPN’s homepage click “Get ExpressVPN,” which will redirect you to a page where you can select your preferred plan, enter your email address and preferred method of payment.

After payment has been processed your activation code will be displayed within the web browser for you to copy. After copying the activation code download the software and install. Once installed, paste the activation code from the online browser into the ExpressVPN software window.

After activating the software you can choose your preferred server to enhance user experience (see photo above). When choosing a server you can select for what is recommended, select by geographic region, or by name of the server.

When selecting the preferences menu, you can choose additional options such as launching ExpressVPN on startup along with changing protocols specific to your preferences (e.g. security over speed).

How to Set-up ExpressVPN on Mobile Devices

The ExpressVPN setup on a mobile device, including phones and tablets, is just as easy as a desktop/laptop.

Log-on to your account on ExpressVPN’s website and select the type of mobile device you will be using for ExpressVPN. From that page, copy down your password as you will be using this rather than the activation code to launch ExpressVPN on your smartphone. After starting the ExpressVPN app on your smartphone, select sign-in, enter your email address along with the unique password from your ExpressVPN account page.

Afterward, follow the set-up prompts and allow ExpressVPN to add VPN configurations. This will allow you to jump across different servers for better service. As a final step, choose whether you would like to share analytics from your phone that ExpressVPN can use to improve their service.

From here you can either skip to using the app or take a tour that walks you through how to use the app and connect to different servers.

Other Pros and Cons of ExpressVPN

Beyond the regular VPN service that ExpressVPN provides, there are a few other pros and cons for using ExpressVPN that I’d like to share here.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee – Whereas other VPN products tend to advertise 3-7 day free-trials, ExpressVPN requires you to pay up front. However they do stand apart from other products in offering a 30 day money back guarantee. If not satisfied during the 30 day timeframe, you can get a full refund without any questions asked. Other VPNs tend to have a 7-14 day window for requesting a full refund.

Price – Another con is the price you pay for ExpressVPN. For a 12 month subscription you pay $8.32 / month whereas other products you can anticipate paying anywhere from $3 to $7 / month. Therefore plan on paying slightly more than competing products with ExpressVPN. That said, if you use this link for ExpressVPN, you can increase the value you receive with 3 months of free service on any annual plan.

Simultaneous Connections – ExpressVPN allows usage of their software on up to three devices at the same time. While not bad, other VPNs allow more devices for simultaneous usage.

5-Minute Setup Process – Purchasing ExpressVPN, installing and activating the software can be done in minutes. It really is one of the best and easiest pieces of VPN software to get up and running.

User Friendly Experience – Both the computer and mobile ExpressVPN app excel in being user friendly. Simply click the big button and you are connected. Unlike other VPNs where you change servers within the settings page, ExpressVPN allows you to connect to servers from the app’s homepage.

Other VPN providers require you to download multiple configurations to access different servers on your mobile phone. With ExpressVPN, you only need to download one configuration to access all the different global servers. This saves you plenty of hassle and makes using the app easier.

Conclusion | ExpressVPN Review

As you can tell, I’ve been a satisfied ExpressVPN customer for the past 8 years. 🙂

It’s been a reliable service that has worked well no matter what country I’ve traveled to and what kind of internet connection I’ve had (and I’ve had some bad ones!). During the few times I’ve had to use customer support, the responses has been quick and helpful.